The Crown's Imelda Staunton gets into character as Queen Elizabeth II for ...

Imelda Staunton was pictured on the set of The Crown series 5 for the first time on Monday as she got stuck into her role as Queen Elizabeth II. 

The actress, 65, wore a green two-piece under a padded jacket and cosy Hunter boots between takes before boarding a royal boat in Macduff, Scotland. 

The Queen famously arrived in Macduff on August 4, 1961 alongside Prince Philip via the Royal Britannia - but series five covers the monarch's reign from the 1990s-2003, with Imelda appearing to recreate a 2003 royal visit to Belfast.

Imelda's hair had been styled into the Queen's signature curls and was held in place with a blue hat and a pink hairnet and she carried a Thermos flask in order to keep warm. 

She was seen climbing into a boat alongside her co-stars on the River Deveron in scenes that were shot just days after the very first image of the esteemed actress in character was revealed by Netflix.  

Last week, the Press and Journal reported that residents of four streets in the Aberdeenshire town received a letter last week to notify them that cast and crew would be arriving on August 2 to shoot at the harbour. 

The letter, from the location manager and location assistant from the show’s fifth season, said they have been liaising with Aberdeen County Council.

They added they 'aimed to make the day run as smoothly as possible, causing as little inconvenience to residences and businesses in the area as possible.' 

MacDuff was originally known as the 'sea toune' of Doune but initial attempts to develop the site as a seaport failed.

Economic growth came in 1783 when James Duff, Lord Macduff and 2nd Earl of Fife, built a harbour and changed the settlement's name to Macduff.    

The sighting comes as the Netflix show took to Twitter on Friday to upload a snap of the actress dressed as the monarch as she prepares to take over the regal role from current Queen actress Olivia Colman. 

Alongside the image, The Crown's official Twitter account simply wrote: 'An early glimpse of our new Queen Elizabeth II, Imelda Staunton.'  

Imelda perfectly portrayed the monarch in the first look snap, donning a smart shirt with a bow on the front of the collar.

She wore her greying locks in curls and even sported a slight touch of red lipstick as well as a set of pearls around her neck.

Also joining The Crown newcomer in series five is Lesley Manville, 64, who is set to star as Princess Margaret and Jonathan Pryce, 73, will take over the role of Prince Philip for the seasons showing the Royals navigating the 1990s and early 2000s.

The Queen's younger sister has previously been played by Helena Bonham Carter and Vanessa Kirby. While Tobias Menzies, 47, and Matt Smith, 38, have portrayed past versions of the late Duke of Edinburgh.

Filming on series 5 will involve following strict Covid rules, however the UK is hoping to ease restrictions throughout the summer with some measures already changing.

The final two series of The Crown will cover the Royal Family's history throughout the 1990s and into 2003, however it is not yet know which moments will be seen.

There are several poignant moments which could be used, including the Queen making a speech on her 40th anniversary of her accession in 1992, in which she called the year an 'annus horriblis'.

She was referring to the breakdown of three of her children's marriages; Prince Andrew, Princess Anne's and Prince Charles' divorce from Princess Diana.

Other notable events during the time period included a fire at Windsor Castle, her golden wedding anniversary in 1997, and the deaths of Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother and the Princess of Wales.

Speaking about joining the hit show, Imelda admitted she is 'frightened' to take on the Queen Elizabeth role in The Crown.

The 65-year-old actress is following on from Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, but says she has an 'extra challenge' playing a recent version as it will be fresh in the audiences mind.

Speaking to The Sun, Imelda said: 'When Claire was in the first series, to all of us that felt like history. Then following on from that with Olivia, again it seems like history.

'Now we start in 1991 playing someone much more recent. That's the extra challenge I have, people saying, "Oh, I don't think she's like that at all"'.

Many members of the series four cast have also joked that they won't be giving any advice to their successors. Oscar-winning actress Olivia said recently: 'I haven't spoken to Imelda and I wouldn't dare offer any advice about playing the Queen.

'Imelda is extraordinary and she's going to do it all much better than me. I can't wait to watch what she does.'

The Crown lovers took to Twitter to react to the news. 

One wrote: 'Gonna miss this Queen [Olivia Colman] but I'm sure Imelda will do a brilliant job. My time with the crown is done, some of last seasons cast and this seasons were just not it for me. Good luck to everyone involved tho.'

One fan simply penned: 'perfection' with another calling the new line-up 'very strong'. 

While Josh, who won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Charles, also appeared to confirm his successor is The Affair star Dominic West - and joked he'd 'laugh him off' if the 51-year-old approached him for advice in an interview with GQ.

He said: 'Playing that character has brought me a lot of joy. But it's lovely to come away and go, "Great. Now hand it over to Dominic West" ... But if Dominic West came to me asking me for advice, I'd laugh him off. I'd be like, "Dom! You're Dominic West!"'

The Crown has covered controversies from Royal affairs to family feuds but it's conveniently going to end in the early 2000s and miss of perhaps some of the most controversial storylines of all.

The Royal drama won't be covering Prince Harry's wild years and Megxit because recent events haven't had enough time to 'gain a proper perspective', an executive producer has confirmed.

Suzanna Mackie revealed that the Royal drama will come to an end in the early 2000s, when Prince Harry and William were just teenagers, meaning Harry's past behavior will be avoided by the creators.

Speaking to Broadcast earlier this month, the producer, 35, claimed the Netflix show's creator Peter Morgan 'simply can't' write another season because recent history hasn't 'had time to gain a proper perspective'. 

She explained: 'Peter has said it very articulately, that he simply can't write something unless there has been time to gain a proper perspective.' 

Suzanne also reflected on the fact that Peter likes to leave a decade between The Crown's plot lines and current modern life. 

She explained: 'I think he's [Peter] always felt 10 years is the minimum amount of time that he can see something in a historical context, to allow him to really understand it. I don't think he'll deviate from that.

The executive producer continued: 'We all know these stories, but what Peter does so brilliantly is get underneath that, and understand the landscape in a more nuanced, complex, surprising way.'

The Crown insider then explained that if the show's script gets too close to present day events she fears the plot will start to feel contrived. 

Peter also previously expressed his relief at not having to write about recent events regarding the Riyals.

He told T&C: 'The Meghan and Harry story is nowhere near over yet. And I’m happy that I’m never going to write it.'

Despite the show's success, Suzanne said she agreed with Peter's decision and thought it was definitely time to move on from the popular show. 

Reflecting on casting Emma Corrin as Diana, Princess of Wales, in season four,  Suzanne claimed it was one of her proudest career highlights.  

Emma was originally brought to the show to help out while Emerald Fennell ran her lines as Camilla Parker-Bowles. 

But after the young actress impressed executives at the read-through they gave her a screen test and realised 'that might be Diana'. 

Executive producer Suzanne Mackie shared earlier this year: 'To be honest, whatever the life of 'The Crown' is after where we are now, I doubt we'll ever go as far into the present day.' 

Key moments in the Royal Family's history the show will not cover includes Harry's romance with Meghan Markle and the couple's decision to step back as senior Royals.

Meghan and Harry rocked the foundations of the Royal Family in 2020 when they announced their shock decision as they 'work to become financially independent'.

In an extraordinary statement, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they wanted to 'carve out a progressive new role' and 'step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family'.

They said they wanted to balance their time between the UK and North America, 'continuing to honour our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages'.

Since their exit, the couple first moved to Canada before later settling in an £11m mansion in Montecito in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles.

They've since welcomed a daughter Lilibet Diana, a baby sister to their son Archie Harrison, two.

But while Harry's life as a loving husband and father will be skipped, his wild partying days will also not be aired, which will no doubt come as a relief to the Duke.

Most notably, his 2005 controversy in which the then 20-year-old Prince was widely condemned for wearing a Nazi uniform, complete with swastika armband, to a fancy dress party.

Images of Harry, pictured holding a drink and a cigarette caused 'public outrage', with the young Prince forced to issue and apology. 

His actions sparked angry condemnation from politicians, anti-fascist groups and Jewish human rights organisations. 

In a statement, he said: 'I'm very sorry if I caused any offence or embarrassment to anyone. It was a poor choice of costume and I apologise.' 

With The Crown ending in the early 2000s, the show will of course skip the latest controversy surrounding the Royal family - Harry and Meghan's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which they made a number of claims about 'the firm'. 

Claims included allegations of racism aimed towards their son Archie, while it was also said that Meghan's pleas for help were ignored when she was suicidal.

In a turbulent time for the House of Windsor Prince Andrew was also 'sacked' from all Royal duties by the Queen after a disastrous Newsnight interview about his years of friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 

Prince Andrew was also alleged to have had sex with then 17-year-old Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, and has strenuously denied any wrongdoing. 

Meanwhile, with the current series of The Crown largely focusing on the love triangle between Charles, Diana and Camilla, the latter years will notably skip Charles' relationship with Camilla following Diana's death in 1997.

The couple were photographed publicly together for the first time in two years later 1999, though they had tried to keep their rekindled romance out of the public eye amid the huge outpouring of grief over Diana.